Are You Bloated? Learn 8 Powerful Ways To Reduce Bloating Naturally

Bloating… the struggle is REAL.

Feeling bloated and gassy is super uncomfortable, inconvenient and frustrating.

You are not alone. Bloating is very common; about 16 - 30% of people experience it regularly or far too frequently.

If you are one of those people who is experiencing bloating regularly, you want to know how to reduce bloating immediately and naturally and at home. You will be happy to know that you can beat the bloat starting NOW.

I am happy to share some powerful tips on how to reduce bloating naturally.

What Is Bloating?

Before you learn how to reduce bloating, it is important to understand what bloating is.

When your belly feels like it’s swollen from eating, it is bloated. It comes with discomfort, a ‘stuffed’ feeling and possibly pain. Your stomach may also look bigger as a result of bloating.

Bloating is usually the result of excess gas or the disturbances of muscle movements in your digestive system. Bloating is typically caused by too much gas, liquid, or solids in your digestive system.

Bloating may also be caused by increased sensitivity. You may feel increased pressure, even if there isn’t any.

In some cases, bloating may be caused by a serious medical condition, so seeing a doctor may be recommended if you experience bloating regularly. However, in most cases, it is caused by your diet, specific foods or certain ingredient you may be intolerant to.

How Is Bloating Different From Water Weight, Water Retention Or Fat?

Bloating, water weight, water retention and fat are different. To learn how to get rid of bloating, first, you need to understand the difference between these four things to make sure you are actually dealing with bloating.

While bloating may be a regular problem in your life, it is a temporary issue usually caused by a food your body is not agreeing with and involved too much gas, liquid, or food in your digestive system, causing temporary issues.

Water weight, or edema, happens when water builds up in your body. It can cause bloating and puffiness. Water weight usually appears in the abdomen, legs and arms. Common causes of water weight include too much sodium, too many carbohydrates, water pills, exercise and supplements.

Water retention, or fluid retention, is an excessive fluid buildup in your body, particularly in your circulatory system, body tissues, or body cavities. Water retention can occur in various parts of your body for many different reasons. It may be characterized by aches, tenderness, stiffness, weight gain and discoloration of the skin.

Belly fat typically develops when you eat more calories than you burn off over a longer period of time. While everyone needs some body fat, including belly fat, excess belly fat can be unhealthy and can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other problems. Unlike bloating that’s temporary, belly fat develops over time.

Common Causes Of Bloating

Before you learn how to reduce bloating, it is important to understand its common causes.

Common causes of bloating:

• Swallowing air from drinking through a straw, or chewing gum.
• Eating too fast
• Eating too much
• Eating fatty foods
• Eating foods that create gas in the intestinal tract (such as beans, vegetables, and other high fiber foods)
• Lactose intolerance
• Intestinal disorders, for example, IBS, IBD and SIBO
• Drinking a lot of soda or other carbonated beverages
• Constipation
• Celiac disease
• Gluten intolerance
• Food allergies and food sensitivities
• Indigestion
• Pregnancy
• Menstrual period
• PMS
• Smoking
• Liver disease
• Hiatal hernia
• Gallstones
• H. pylori infection
• Gastroparesis
• Abdominal adhesions due to prior surgery(s) in the abdominal or pelvic region, for example, hysterectomy

How To Reduce Bloating

#1 Drink Water... Or Green Juice To Reduce Bloating

Your body holds onto water as to not get dehydrated. Drinking water regularly helps flush out its stores. Carbonated liquids (soda) cause air to go right to your stomach, creating a bloated belly. Dairy-based options may be difficult for some people to process and result in excess gas forming in your system.

If you get tired of water, try green juice. Vegetable juice still has super high water content but is more flavorful than water and comes with important micro-nutrients.

#2 Stay Away From Sugar Alcohol To Reduce Bloating

Sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol can cause distress in your gastrointestinal tract and lead to bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhea. It is difficult for your body to fully break these sweeteners down. These can be found in gum, energy bars and other highly processed foods (especially those marketed to be zero to low sugar). If you want to know how to reduce bloating, staying away from these sweeteners is an important tip to follow.

#3 Track Your Sodium Intake To Reduce Bloating

Your body retains water when you eat sodium to try to maintain balance in your bloodstream.

To de-bloat: stay below 2,500 milligrams of sodium per day. And don’t forget to DRINK DRINK DRINK water (or green juice)!

#4 Reduce Your Carb Intake To Reduce Bloating

Carbs are your body’s go-to fuel source. Carbohydrate molecules bind with water to create glycogen (a form of energy). The more carbs you eat, the more water your body holds onto and… the MORE bloated you become. Most Americans are eating WAY more carbs than they need for energy. One of the most important tips on how to reduce bloat is to cut down on carbs for 1-3 days and replace with more vegetables.

#5 Chew Your Food To Reduce Bloating

Sometimes it is not about WHAT you eat, but HOW you eat. Eating behaviors that can cause bloating by getting excess air in your digestive tract along with your food by talking while eating or eating too fast. One thing many people miss when trying to figure out how to reduce bloating is addressing chewing. To debloat: FOCUS on your food and chewing thoroughly and slowly, allowing your food to become easier to digest. Only talk between bites!

#6 Track Fiber Intake To Reduce Bloating

Fibers keep your digestive system working smoothly and is a key for staying healthy. HOWEVER, TOO much fiber can lead to feeling bloated (especially if you aren’t used to eating a larger quantity). Fiber is a very important tip that can help you to reduce bloating. Eat between 20-30 grams of fiber every day or 14 grams per 1000 calories in your diet.

#7 Portion Control To Reduce Bloating

Eating out or attending parties can lead to HUGE portion sizes. Overeating creates sluggishness and feeling uncomfortably full. You can still enjoy your treats, but pay attention to the size of your portions and eating well-balanced meals. Don’t forget about this important tip on how to reduce bloating!

#8 Eat Less Of The Following Produce To Reduce Bloating

Certain fruits and veggies create more gas (and more bloat) than others. While some fruits, such as grapes, peaches, cherries and mangoes do have incredible nutritional benefits, they also contain sugar alcohols that can create a puffy gut feeling. Raffinose, a compound that produces gassiness, is found in cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts.

If you want to figure out how to reduce bloating, choose fruits with less sugar content such as blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and oranges. Eat veggies with high water content like zucchini and cucumber.

Using these 8 powerful tips on how to reduce bloating, you can reduce bloating naturally and effectively and feel better soon. Keep using these tips, eat a nutrient-dense whole food diet, drink plenty of green juice and you can increase your health without bloat naturally.

Do you have any other tips on how to reduce bloating? Have you tried any of our tips? Share your experiences with us in the comments, we would love to hear from you and exchange ideas in our community on how to reduce bloating.

And remember, we're in this together.

About The Author

Kat Gál is a professional holistic health writer who helps health, wellness and nutrition businesses to market their products and services through quality online content. She is also a Certified Holistic Health & Life Coach. Kat is a multi-passionate writer, world traveler, nomad, runner, and cat-person. She is a lifelong learner who lives outside of her comfort zones stretching her boundaries and discovering beauty around the world. Reach out if you are looking for amazing blog content at katgalwriter@gmail.com or at katgalwriter.com.